At about nine months of age, infants at this age begin to gain the ability to recall images in their minds. Once the frontal lobe of the brain, where long term storage and retrieval of memory is thought to take place, matures, recall is developed. (Kase, 2000 .p.51)

With recall, object permanence is mastered. If you put a blanket over the teddy bear, the infant will be able to remember that the teddy bear is underneath. Once the infant have mastered object permanence, (s)he will also be able to remember his or her mother after she leaves (and therefore miss her).

However, the memory process is not all complete at this age.

• Long-term memory - The infant is still developing memory skills. Both a nine-month old and a twenty month old baby are capable of learning how to make a rattle with cups and a ball. However, the older baby will be able to remember a year later, whereas the younger one will have forgotten the skill after three months. (Kase, 2000 .p.51)
• Short-term memory - This skill is not fully developed yet either. Give young toddlers only simple directions, one at a time. (Kase, 2000 .p.51)

Suggestions for parents:

• Scarf trick (9 months & up) - Hide a toy under one of two scarves and show your baby how to retrieve it. Then, switch the toy to the other scarf. Does your baby pick up the scarf where the toy was previously hidden or the correct one? (Kase, 2000 .p.51)
• Reinforce experiences - Do activities more than once, and refer back to them in your other activities. For example, take multiple trips to the zoo with your baby. Read him or her a book about animals. Talk to her about the time you saw real bears together when she's playing with her stuffed teddy bear.